Psalms 78 - Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

Bible Comments

  • Introduction open_in_new

    LXXVIII.

    This is the first and the longest specimen in the Hebrew hymn-book of a species of composition peculiar to it, and indeed peculiar to the literature of the Jews, as combining narrative with instruction. It has been rightly called “epi-didactic.” It does not tell the story of the past with any view of celebrating heroic ancestors, or exalting conspicuous national virtues. On the contrary, it is a long confession of national failings. The Biblical conception of history is always religious, and, therefore, practical, and here the utmost prominence is given to those lapses from loyalty to Jehovah, against which the poet is covertly warning his own generation.
    But while it thus expresses the pious feelings of the writer and his age, it is entirely characteristic in giving equal emphasis to their exclusiveness, and that not the exclusiveness of a nation only, or a religion, but of one tribe of a nation, and one doctrine of the religion. It is impossible to resist the conclusion that the author is quite as much concerned to establish the Divine purpose in rejecting Ephraim in favour of Judah as in choosing Israel as a nation in distinction from the heathen. At the very outset, as soon as the faithlessness and perversity of the nation have been mentioned, Ephraim is singled out as the chief and typical example of disloyalty (Psalms 78:9). The conclusion of the psalm from Psalms 78:67 dwells with genuine satisfaction on the rejection of the northern tribes, and on the exclusive choice as the seat of the theocracy of the southern tribe, Judah. This prominence given to the disruption has led some critics to date the poem at the time of that event. But other considerations enter into the question. The “high places” are mentioned (Psalms 78:58) as one of the causes of the Divine wrath, a sentiment that only entered into the religious feeling of even the better minds about the time of Hezekiah. (See Kuenen’s Religion of Israel, i. 79, 80, Eng. trans.) The poetical form is very irregular.

    Title. — See Psalms 32:1.

  • Psalms 78:1 open_in_new

    For the formal opening see Psalms 49:1, Note.

    My people. — An expression pointing to a position of weight and authority.

    My law. — Here, rather instruction, or doctrine.

  • Psalms 78:2,3 open_in_new

    I will open. — A difficulty is started by the fact that the psalm deals with history, and is neither a proverb (mâshal) nor riddle (chîdah). But the Divine rejection of the northern tribes may be the covert meaning which the poet sees to have been wrapped up in all the ancient history. The word mâshal is also sometimes used in a wide, vague sense, embracing prophetic as well as proverbial poetry. (See Numbers 21:27.)

    For “dark sayings,” literally, knotty points, see Numbers 12:8. In Habakkuk 2:6 the word seems to mean a sarcasm.

    For the use of this passage in Matthew 13:35, see Note, New Testament Commentary.

  • Psalms 78:5 open_in_new

    For he... — Better, taking the relative of time (comp. Deuteronomy 11:6; Psalms 139:15), For he established (it as) a testimony in Jacob and (as) a law appointed (it) in Israel when he commanded our forefathers to make them (the “wonderful works” of last verse) known to their children. For the custom see reference in margin.

  • Psalms 78:8 open_in_new

    Stubborn. — Refractory.

    That set not their heart aright. — Literally, did not establish their heart, which preserves the parallelism better.

  • Psalms 78:9 open_in_new

    Armed, and carrying bows. — Following Jeremiah 4:29, and from analogy with Jeremiah 44:9 (“handle and bend the bow”) we get as literal rendering of the Hebrew here, drawing and shooting with the bow. LXX. and Vulgate, “bending and shooting with the bow.” But a close comparison of this verse with Psalms 78:57 of this psalm, and with Hosea 7:16, has suggested to a recent commentator a much more satisfactory explanation, The sons of Ephraim (are like men) drawing slack bowstrings which turn back in the day of battle. “Both the disappointment on the day of battle and the cause of the disappointment, which are mentioned in the text, will be appreciated by the English reader who remembers that the result of the battle of Creçy was determined at the outset by a shower of rain which relaxed the strings of our enemy’s bows” (Burgess, Notes on the Hebrew Psalms.)[15]

    [15] This translation assumes that the primitive meaning of the verb râmah is was slack. Certainly the root idea of the word (comp. the cognate râphah and the meaning of the derivation in Proverbs 10:4; Proverbs 12:24) seems to have been relaxation. That turned back, both here and in Psalms 78:57, refers to the recoil of a bow, seems indubitable.

    By taking this sense of a comparison of the general character of Ephraim to a bow with a relaxed string that fails at the moment it is wanted (a figure made more expressive by the fact that archery was a practice in which Ephraim excelled), we are freed from the necessity of conjecturing a particular incident to account for this verse, which seems to break the sequence of thought. The whole historical retrospect is intended to lead up to the rejection of the northern kingdom (represented by Ephraim), but the poet is unable to keep back his climax, and thrusts it in here almost parenthetically.

  • Psalms 78:12 open_in_new

    Field of Zoan. — See Numbers 13:22. It is the classical “Tanis,” merely a corruption of Tsoan, i.e., low country (LXX. and Vulgate). Tanis is situated on the east bank of what was formerly called the Tanitic branch of the Nile. Between it and Pelusium, about thirty miles to the east, stretched a rich plain known as “the marshes,” or “the pastures,” or “the field” of Zoan.

    The psalm now turns to the adventures in the wilderness, postponing the marvels in Egypt till Psalms 78:43.

  • Psalms 78:15 open_in_new

    And gave... — Literally, and gave them to drink as it were a great deep, or as we might say, “oceans of drink” — a poetical exaggeration; or are we rather to think of the gift of water as produced by striking or boring through the rock to the great ocean on which the earth was supposed to rest?

  • Psalms 78:17 open_in_new

    They sinned yet more and more. — This implies the discontent which had already shown itself before the miraculous supply of water.

  • Psalms 78:25 open_in_new

    Angels’ food. — See margin, and comp. Wis. 16:20. LXX. and Vulgate, “angels’ bread.” Some explain, after Job 24:22; Job 34:30, lordly food, such as nobles eat — here, quails. But in connection with “food from heaven,” the popular idea of angels’ food which poetry reluctantly gives up may be retained.

  • Psalms 78:26 open_in_new

    East wind... south wind. — Probably the very winds that brought the flights of quails, and not merely poetical details. (See Smith’s Biblical Dictionary, art. “Quails.”)

  • Psalms 78:27 open_in_new

    No doubt there is poetical hyperbole here, but for the enormous numbers of quails that are now caught, see the article quoted above.

  • Psalms 78:30,31 open_in_new

    Evidently from Numbers 11:33, They did not yet loath in consequence of their lusts, the meat was yet in their mouths when, &c. For the expression, comp. the Latin alienari ab aliqua re, to be disinclined to a thing, and our own “stranger to fear,” &c

  • Psalms 78:38 open_in_new

    The verbs in the first clause should be in the present, But he, the compassionate, forgives iniquity, and doth not destroy, and many a time he turned away, &c.

  • Psalms 78:39 open_in_new

    “And what’s a life? A blast sustained with clothing:

    Maintained with food, retained with vile self-loathing;
    Then, weary of itself, away to nothing.” —
    QUARLES: Emblcms.

  • Psalms 78:41 open_in_new

    Limited. — A verb used in Ezekiel 9:4 for putting a mark on the forehead, which has been very variously explained. Some render branded or cast a stigma on — i.e., brought discredit on the Divine name. The LXX. and Vulg. have “exasperated,” and so some moderns “crossed,” “thwarted.” Grätz emends to “asked signs from,” but perhaps the ideas of marking something that has been tried, and that of trying or tempting are sufficiently near to allow us to render tempted.

  • Psalms 78:42 open_in_new

    The reminiscence of the plagues that follows is not a complete enumeration, and does not proceed in the order of the historic narrative.

  • Psalms 78:47 open_in_new

    Vines. — In the history of the plagues (Exodus 9:13-25) no mention is made either of vines or sycamores or of fig-trees, as in Psalms 105:33, and some consider that the poem reflects a Palestinian rather than an Egyptian point of view. But besides Numbers 20:5 and Joseph’s dream there is abundance of evidence of the extensive cultivation of the vine in Egypt. The mural paintings contain many representations of vineyards. Wine stood prominent among the offerings to the gods, and a note on a papyrus of Rameses II. speaks of rations of wine made to workmen.

    Sycamore. — See 1 Kings 10:27.

    Frost. — The Hebrew word is peculiar to this place. The LXX. and Vulg. have “hoar-frost,” Aquila “ice,” Symmachus “worm.” The root of the word appears to mean to cut off, so that by derivation any devastating force would suit the word.

  • Psalms 78:48 open_in_new

    Hail. — Some copies read “pestilence,” which from its association with resheph, as in Habakkuk 3:5, a word there denoting some contagious malady (comp. Deuteronomy 32:24; see Note Psalms 76:3), is probably to be preferred here though the authority of the LXX. is against it. If so, we must refer this verse to the murrain that came on the cattle.

  • Psalms 78:49 open_in_new

    Evil angels. — So LXX. and Vulg., but in the Hebrew angels (or messengers) of ills (so Symmachus), with evident reference to the destruction of the firstborn.

  • Psalms 78:54 open_in_new

    This mountain — i.e., Zion, though from its apposition to border some prefer to take it of all the mountain country of Judæa.

    Purchased. — Rather, acquired.

  • Psalms 78:57 open_in_new

    Turned aside... — Better, turned like a relaxed bow. (See Note to Psalms 78:9.) The bows of the Hebrews, like those of other ancient nations, were probably, when unstrung, bent the reverse way to that assumed when strung, which makes the figure more expressive of the disposition which cannot be relied upon in the moment of need.

  • Psalms 78:63 open_in_new

    Were not given. — See margin. The desolation and misery were marked by the absence of the glad nuptial song.

  • Psalms 78:64 open_in_new

    And their widows... — Undoubtedly referring to the fact that the wife of Phinehas died in premature labour, and so could not attend the funeral of her husband with the customary lamentations, which in Oriental countries are so loud and marked. The Prayer-Book version, therefore, gives the right feeling — “there were no widows to make lamentations.”

  • Psalms 78:65 open_in_new

    That shouteth... — For the boldness of the image which likens God to a giant warrior exhilarated with wine we may range this with the picture in Psalms 60 (See Notes.)

  • Psalms 78:69 open_in_new

    He built. — The first clause is vague, but evidently the poet is drawing attention to the grandeur and solidity of the Temple. Perhaps, high as heaven — firm as earth.